Art History Degrees

The Advantages To Earning An Art History Degree

An art history degree provides graduates with a well rounded educational background necessary for exciting and creative careers within many organizations. Students who complete art history degrees gain the skills and training necessary to appreciate and understand art, learn the history and meaning of some of the world’s most fantastic artwork, and better understand different cultures. Additionally, students who complete art history degrees gain skills and knowledge necessary to advance personal, educational, and career goals ensuring future success.

As many students maintain job or family responsibilities while earning a degree, most colleges and universities have developed online programs in response to an increasing demand. Students enrolled within an online degree program receive virtually the same educational experience as traditional, on campus students. Most online degree programs offer students a quality education with an added flexibility in course scheduling in comparison to their brick and mortar counterparts. Online degree courses consist of groups of 25 students with 24 hour access to educational materials and instruction. Internet chats provide online students with one on one interactions with instructors and other students within online degree programs. Students interested in obtaining an art history degree often find online programs one of the best paths to acquiring the knowledge necessary to expand education necessary for future career success.

What Students Learn Within An Art History Degree Program

Students within an art history degree program gain a broad understand of the meaning and history of the world’s most greatest works of art, as well as great knowledge of other cultures and past time periods. Students enrolled within an art history degree program also gain the skills necessary to create, interpret, read, and write about art depending upon areas of specialty. Most jobs within museums and art galleries require candidates possess a graduate degree to qualify for employment. An associate’s degree in art history is the first step to advancing personal, education, and professional goals. Courses at an associate degree level include: Western art history, design, drawing, art appreciation: introduction to global visual culture, Mexican art, arts of Asia- prehistory to 1900, introduction to African American history, architectural history: Ancient to 1850, architecture history and theory: 1850 to present, history of photography, American art history, sculpture, and ceramics. Graduates who complete an associate degree program may advance to entry level employment within various industries or go on to obtain an advanced degree. Graduates within a bachelor degree program participate in courses like: survey of Western art; basic photography; basic digital photography; Greece, gods, and art; Rome, emperors, and art; history of photography; medieval art and architecture; masters of the Renaissance: Giotto to Botticelli; artists, princes, and popes; architecture and city planning in Old Boston; nineteenth century art; modern art; special topics in art history; Impressionism; art, computers, and digital imaging; the Avant-Garde in the arts; the art world; the arts in Cuba; art and popular culture; anthropology; English literature; Western history; introduction to philosophy; introduction to psychology; and urban affairs. Graduates who complete a bachelor degree program may advance to employment or graduate degree programs. Courses at a master’s level include: African art and architecture, Ancient art and architecture, Near Eastern art and architecture; Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean art and architecture; Greek art and architecture; Roman art and architecture; East Asian art and archaeology; history and theory of architecture; Ancient art; early christian, Byzantine, and Western Medieval art; Renaissance and Baroque art; history of Western art; American art; 19th Century European art; history of photography; pre-Columbian art and archaeology; South Asian art and archaeology; methodologies in art history; ethics; and quantitative research. Graduates who complete a master’s degree program generally qualify for employment within museums, galleries, and other organizations. Some graduates may advance to doctoral degree programs to become experts within the field. Courses at a doctoral level include: topics in Ancient art; topics in Medieval art; topics in Renaissance art; topics in early modern art; topics in global, colonial, and Diasporic art; topics in American visual culture; topics in early modern art; topics in 19th century art; topics in performance; topics in contemporary art; topics in visual culture; theory and criticism: from antiquity through the Renaissance; inquiry in art criticism and theory; issues in architectural history and criticism; contemporary art and criticism; photography and the moving image; modern European art and criticism; American art and material culture; early modern art and material culture; early modern art and visual culture; Medieval and Renaissance art; and ancient civilizations. Graduates who complete doctoral degrees are qualified as experts within the field of art history and may advance to employment as upper level executives, instructors, or researchers within the field.

Prospective Jobs For Graduates With Art History Degrees

Graduates with art history degrees may use the knowledge and skills learned through formal programs to advance to a multitude of careers. An art history degree can be quite versatile, depending upon areas of specialty and other factors. Graduates who complete a bachelor degree in art history generally qualify for employment as tour guides, art critics, museum technicians, or editors of art journals or websites. Graduates who complete master degree programs generally gain employment within galleries and art museums as museum curators or administrators. Graduates who obtain a doctoral degree often work as lead researchers within facilities or as instructors within colleges and universities. Due to increased competition for jobs within museums and galleries, many graduates gain employment within commercial industries with media jobs in magazines, working for publishers, buying art, or researching photos and other works of art. Some graduates enter design fields and work as art journal or art website editors. As with most occupations, graduates may work independently within their own businesses upon gaining relevant work experience, skills, and funding.

Salary Range For Graduates With Art History Degrees

Graduates with art history degrees have the potential to build stable careers with steady incomes in several industries. Factors like organization of employment, level of education, area of specialty, work experience, and continued education greatly impact the earning potential of graduates with art history degrees. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports graduates with art history degrees generally earn salaries ranging from $34,050 to $60,150 annually. Graduates who work as museum technicians generally earn $36,660 annually. Graduates who work as museum directors earn $47,220 annually. Graduates who complete doctoral degrees and work as lead researchers or as instructors within universities often earn salaries beginning at $83,290. As with most occupations, graduates who continue education by advancing to higher degree programs and gain work experience often attract jobs with higher salaries in comparison to those who do not.

Career Outlook And Advancement Opportunities For Graduates With Art History Degrees

Graduates who complete an art history degree may expect to find employment opportunities within many dynamic fields. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) reports that employment within museums and art galleries to increase at a much faster than average rate in comparison to other occupations through the year 2018. As public interest in art, technology, history, and science is anticipated to continually increase, jobs for graduates with art history degrees are predicted to proportionately increase as well. The BLS predicts that competition for available jobs will be particularly heavy due to the number of qualified applicants in comparison to the number of jobs available. Graduates who complete master’s degree programs and gain work experiences through internships are expected to be preferred over candidates with less formal instruction and experience. Additionally, graduates who specialize training in related fields and gain experience through internships and on the job training may find increased employability. Most graduates who work within museums and galleries advance begin as technicians and advance by accepting increased responsibility. Often graduates begin work within small facilities and advance to larger institutions where they complete research and publications. Some graduates with advanced degrees begin work as instructors or researchers and advance to work for private collectors. Many graduates advance to alternative fields and continuing education programs to specialize their degrees in design, computer science, education, architecture, or related fields. Continuing education and specializing degrees provides students with a greater educational basis necessary for long term and lucrative career success.

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